Especially not the new generation of right-wing players led by the likes of Andrew Breitbart. Sure, they pretend to be practicing journalism. I mean, their sites have bylines. The pieces are (supposedly) edited, and then they appear under catchy headlines. But the junk being cranked out on right-wing political sites has nothing to do with journalism (i.e. fairness and facts) and everything to do with whiney, often hate-filled propaganda.

Barnes and some other media critics argue that the broader, more liberal media still decide the daily story and political agenda, so he's calling for a two-pronged war. One goal is to develop conservative reporters. "We need more smart, young people in journalism," he argues, "to infiltrate—infiltrate!—the mainstream media. It can be done."

Then he wants wealthy conservatives to build media outlets. Citing the millions of dollars thrown at political campaigns, he says "there is a lot of money out there that can be used to start new magazines, to buy television networks, to buy newspapers, to start newspapers—so much can be done."

Barnes and I actually agree, though. It would be good for politics and journalism if smart, young conservatives opted for reporting and actually committed themselves to practicing the craft. There's simply no indication conservatives have any desire to do so, not when facts are frowned upon within the Republican Noise Machine.

Writing opinion pieces for Rupert Murdoch's Wall Street Journal must be the easiest assignment in journalism, mostly because it appears that editors make no requirements that conservative writers back up their claims. Better yet for scribes, they allow writers to make claims that are not only profoundly false, but provably false.

The latest example of his lazy trend comes courtesy of Fred Barnes today, who insists it's not the economy that voters are most upset about.

Barnes [emphasis added]:

A funny thing happened on the way to the midterm election. The economy was in bad shape, with high unemployment, slow growth and a lingering housing crisis. Yet it wasn't the paramount issue in the campaign.

Of course, virtually all the polling data published to date makes clear that Barnes has it exactly backwards and that concerns over the economy have been far and away the number one issue among voters.

A CNN/Opinion Research Corporation survey released Monday also indicates that the economy remains, by far, the top issue on the minds of Americans. Fifty-two percent of people questioned say the economy's the most important issue facing the country.

Does anyone in America, besides Fred Barnes, think the economy hasn't been the top issues on the minds of Americans this elections season? Apparently the only other people who believe that are the ones who publish the WSJ's opinion page.

Barnes goes on to stress how it was health care reform, not the economy, that doomed Democrats and is driving voters away this election season.

According to a recent monthly Kaiser Health Tracking Poll, healthcare reform isn't drawing voters to the upcoming November Congressional elections.

Voters asked to name the most important issue contributing to how they will vote listed the economy first, followed by dissatisfaction with government. Healthcare reform came in third.

Specifically, the top two issues are the economy (surprise!) and dissatisfaction with the government and were selected as priorities among 45 percent of voters. Just 13 percent picked health care reform.

Conservative media have falsely suggested that Germany's fiscal austerity policies spurred that country's recent economic growth, at times arguing that the United States should therefore have cut spending instead of borrowing to stimulate the economy. In fact, Germany -- which launched stimulus spending and increased the deficit in response to the recession -- has not yet implemented its planned cuts, and economists say Germany's recent improvement is largely due to conditions favorable to its export-based economy.

Media conservatives, led by Glenn Beck and Sarah Palin, are comparing a Florida church's plans to burn Qurans on the anniversary of the 9-11 attacks to plans to build an Islamic community center in Manhattan.

In June, Fox News figures downplayed job growth numbers by pointing out that many of the jobs created were temporary census positions. Now, those same Fox figures are hyping net job losses over the summer while ignoring that the losses are largely explained by the conclusion of those same temporary census positions.

During the run-up to the Iraq war, some of the worst purveyors of misinformation about Iraq had a home at Fox News, and their ranks have swelled considerably since then. Media Matters takes a look at the track record of wrong predictions and shoddy analysis about the war in Iraq by many of Fox News' contributors and analysts.

Conservative media have long made a habit of bogus stock market analysis that furthers the right-wing agenda rather than shedding light on the business world, crediting right-wing figures and causes for gains, and blaming progressives for market declines, even in the face of evidence to the contrary.

We pointed out back in April that Fred Barnes was one of many, many Fox News figures who have engaged in activism for Republican candidates or causes. Specifically, we noted that Barnes had keynoted fundraisers for Rep. Aaron Schock (R-IL) and for the Palm Beach County Republican Party.

Today, Salon.com's Joe Conason reports that Premiere Speakers Bureau, the firm that books Barnes' speaking engagements, was paid $5,500 the month before Barnes' Palm Beach appearance. He also reports on payments to Premiere for two other Barnes appearances at GOP fundraisers:

Now, however, there is further evidence that Barnes not only routinely helped Republicans raise money as a banquet speaker, but accepted tens of thousands of dollars from party organizations as well:

In February 2006, Barnes was paid $10,000 plus travel expenses by Oregon's Lane County Republican Central Committee to deliver the keynote address at the annual Lincoln Day Dinner. (Thanks to Carla Axtman for research assistance.) These payments, recorded in filingswith the Oregon secretary of state, were evidently made through the Premier Speakers Bureau of Franklin, Tenn., which represents other Fox personalities including Sean Hannity, Dick Morris and Mike Huckabee. Barnes is no longer listed on the Premier website, but the company did not respond to phone or e-mail inquiries about its relationship with him.

In February 2007, Barnes spoke at the annual Lincoln-Reagan Dinnerheld by the Republican Party of Fort Bend County, Texas -- home of former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, who purchased a ticket to the event. The party organization's filing with the Texas Ethics Commission shows two payments of $5,000 each on April 26, 2007, to Premiere Speakers Bureau (with the notation "LRD 2007 Speaker - Fred Barnes") and travel expenses of $1,823. Photos of a smiling Barnes with various local dignitaries at the event, which netted a reported $70,000 for the party, can be viewed here.

In early March 2008, Barnes served as the keynote speaker for the Republican Party of Palm Beach County at its annual Lincoln Day Dinner. Whether he received the customary $10,000 is not clear because the party's filing with the Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections show only a single payment of $5,500 to Premiere Speakers Bureau on Feb. 18. The committee reported net $120,000 in net proceeds from the event.

On Fox News' Special Report, Carl Cameron and Fred Barnes promoted the myths that Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan "bann[ed]" military recruiting at Harvard Law School, and that Kagan's opposition to the military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy contradicts her being "tremendously supportive of the military."

Conservative media figures have attacked President Obama's moratorium on new offshore drilling in the aftermath of the BP oil spill. However, the oil spill response plans for all five major oil companies drilling in the Gulf were written by the same consulting firm, and oil executives have admitted aspects of their plans are "an embarrassment."

The New York Times was forced to issue two corrections after relying on Capitol Hill anonymous sourcing for its flawed report on emails from former Secretary of State and Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. The Clinton debacle is the latest example of why the media should be careful when relying on leaks from partisan congressional sources -- this is far from the first time journalists who did have been burned.

Several Fox News figures are attempting to shift partial blame onto Samuel DuBose for his own death at the hands of a Cincinnati police officer during a traffic stop, arguing DuBose should have cooperated with the officer's instructions if he wanted to avoid "danger."

Iowa radio host Steve Deace is frequently interviewed as a political analyst by mainstream media outlets like NPR, MSNBC, and The Hill when they need an insider's perspective on the GOP primary and Iowa political landscape. However, these outlets may not all be aware that Deace gained his insider status in conservative circles by broadcasting full-throated endorsements of extreme right-wing positions on his radio show and writing online columns filled with intolerant views that he never reveals during main stream media appearances.